Here are the Week 14 assignments. There are only a handful of games ahead of the Copa America break.
06/01/2016
Philadelphia Union v Columbus Crew
ROBERT SIBIGA
D.C. United v Seattle Sounders
JOSE CARLOS RIVERO
Portland Timbers v San Jose Earthquakes
CHRISTOPHER PENSO
06/02/2016
TED UNKEL
FC Dallas v Houston Dynamo
KEVIN STOTT
LA Galaxy v Sporting Kansas City
HILARIO GRAJEDA
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Crew in May 2016
Due to several scheduling/technology issues, the podcast I was excited to be a part of hasn't published a new conversation since April 27, 2016. It's disappointing, and I miss the ability to output my thoughts in a medium that sparked actual intellectual soccer conversation (usually the intellectual parts came from my counterparts). Twitter is only ideal during a live event, and going back and reading Tweets after the event is over is confusing. I'm not funny enough to be a regular on the Celebrity Fan™ roast, and have never been invited to participate in the other show in town.
Let's face it, nobody wants to read a long blog. So what am I doing? Writing a long blog post. OK. That makes sense.
Ethan Finlay
I need to first address the elephant in the room. It should come as no surprise that Ethan Finlay is my favorite soccer player. Finlay hasn't had a great season this year as he had last year. What has annoyed me most out of anything this season is that other Crew fans immediately dismiss anything I say that's praiseworthy about Finlay or negative about any other player. It has taken all of the fun out of discourse about the Crew and, quite honestly, taken out much of the joy I have for cheering for the Crew. Case in point: On May 14, 2016 versus Colorado at home, Finlay was left out of the starting lineup, and Cedrick was in his place. I received all kinds of incendiary comments at the tailgate and Tweets questioning how I was handling it. That is ridiculous!
It's about the badge. If Finlay played for another MLS team, I would not change my allegiance to the Crew. That does not discount that he's my favorite player or that he's a major part of why I got hooked to the Crew. It also does not mean that my criticisms/praises of any player should automatically be rejected.
A Tale of Two Merams
For some reason, Crew fans assume that I hate Meram. My point with Meram has always been that he is two different players. He is the selfish ball-hog diva that tries to much as fails miserably.... or he is the dynamite energy force that makes things happen! (See "Ethan Finlay" section above because you're not allowed to like two players, I guess.)
I made the trek to BMO Field Toronto on May 21, 2016 with a friend who has only been to one soccer game. I sat with a group of 9 Crew fans, none of whom I had met before. Meram stood around, only making a play for the ball when it was around him, and otherwise appeared to make no effort. All 9 of us were calling for a sub. We were all shocked when we found out Meram was voted MOTM. Apparently, on TV, it looked like he was always making a play for the ball, but that was only when he happened to be in the near vicinity.
On May 28, 2016 at home versus RSL, Meram was directly responsible for the first two goals and had another killer performance. My criticisms are not that Meram is a poor player, it's that he's inconsistent, and I wish I could see this Meram every week.
Cedrick is not a 90 Minute Player
The Colorado game was the first game that Kei Kamara did not play in after his trade to the New England Revolution. Ultimately, the lineup shakeup changed nothing. Cedrick provided a spark for 15 minutes, and then the Crew set out in their mediocre ways and blew a lead and tied a game at home.
Cedrick as a fresh set of legs off the bench excelled in the playoffs last year. He scored in the first 15 minutes of the Colorado match and provided that spark and energy and creativity that the Crew needed. But he's not the savior of the team. The energy of the Colorado match clearly sapped after about 30 minutes.
At the Toronto game, there were several times early in the second half that Cedrick was way behind the play and huffed and puffed to catch up. I'm not sure if this translated on TV. There was one point where Toronto had no defenders around Cedrick, and I think if he had been able to make the run to be level with Ola and Meram, it could've been another goal for the Crew.
I'd like to see Finlay and Cedrick start together to see the burst of energy and at the top from both wings, before either of them or Meram get tired. The problem with this is that what do we do with Meram? There's no way Pipa gets benched even if he scores multiple own goals. I'd like to see Meram up top, but with Ola performing well, I also don't see this happening.
Ola is Not Kei
I first made this comment after the friendly against Veracruz on May 11. The reactions were "Give him a chance!" "It's too early to tell!" "That's harsh."
I didn't say Ola is not good; I said Ola is not Kei. And that's a good thing. Ola is a more complete striker making intelligent runs into the box and behind defenders.
Even though he scored a hat trick at the RSL match, I was struck by how many goals he missed! My dad, who is not a soccer guy, was watching with me and said, "That guy should have 6 goals by now." That makes his performance even more incredible. During the Toronto and Colorado matches, he missed several opportunities. But if he gets his stride, it's going to be a while before MLS defenders will be able to figure him out, if at all, because he's not the one trick pony Kei was.
Not Out of the Woods By a Long Shot
I am Mr. Sunshine Brigade. But this season has been very difficult for me to watch. I constantly wonder how the same personnel who took the Crew to the MLS Cup Final struggles so mightily. The Crew blew a 4-1 lead versus Montreal at home. I had allowed myself to believe that the on field antics that we saw between Pipa and Kei over the penalty kick was the reason for the mental shutdowns.
But then the Crew almost blew a 4-1 lead versus RSL at home. When Ola got his hat trick, I tweeted "4-1 is a dangerous score line for the Crew." I wish I had been joking. The Crew need a winning streak of more than one or two games. Not an unbeaten streak. I'm sorry, but touting that the Crew are "unbeaten in four" distorts the reality of how poorly the team have been playing.
It seems like every team we play is currently the best in the league and we're sold a bill of goods that a "road point" or a "point against that team" is something to be excited about. After making it to MLS Cup Final last year, being content with a point is just not good enough.
Depleted Roster
I just noticed today that Saravia and Larsen got called up for international duty, joining Afful and Cedrick. Sauro, Tchani, and Wahl are out with injuries. Hollingsworth and Pacifici, who have been playing for USL affiliate Pittsburgh, have concussions. It's going to be interesting to see who Berhalter puts in the Philadelphia game on Wednesday, especially in the back line. If this wasn't his third year, I would speculate that he would experiment with tactics, maybe a 3-5-2, but we all know that's not going to happen.
U.S. Open Cup
The most interesting thing about the depleted roster is that it's likely we'll see the same lineup play in the league game and in the U.S. Open Cup game next Wednesday (June 8) against either Tampa Bay or Cincinnati. At the Veracruz friendly, I thought that Hollingsworth was the standout of players I hadn't seen play before. He had the speed and energy of Finlay, but with a nice first touch. I am most disappointed that Hollingsworth is unlikely to play in either the league game or the U.S. Open Cup game. it would've been a great opportunity for him.
I love the U.S. Open Cup and wish that the Crew (and Crew fans) would take it seriously. Berhalter told me that he doesn't use the U.S. Open Cup as a measure of success or failure among his players. He said that if the fans take it seriously, so will he, but this seems rather circular. How are we supposed to spend money and time to take it seriously if the coach doesn't? Regardless, I will be at the match, and am looking forward to it. I enjoy the intimacy of watching soccer in a small stadium, and it will be a blast.
Let's face it, nobody wants to read a long blog. So what am I doing? Writing a long blog post. OK. That makes sense.
Ethan Finlay
I need to first address the elephant in the room. It should come as no surprise that Ethan Finlay is my favorite soccer player. Finlay hasn't had a great season this year as he had last year. What has annoyed me most out of anything this season is that other Crew fans immediately dismiss anything I say that's praiseworthy about Finlay or negative about any other player. It has taken all of the fun out of discourse about the Crew and, quite honestly, taken out much of the joy I have for cheering for the Crew. Case in point: On May 14, 2016 versus Colorado at home, Finlay was left out of the starting lineup, and Cedrick was in his place. I received all kinds of incendiary comments at the tailgate and Tweets questioning how I was handling it. That is ridiculous!
It's about the badge. If Finlay played for another MLS team, I would not change my allegiance to the Crew. That does not discount that he's my favorite player or that he's a major part of why I got hooked to the Crew. It also does not mean that my criticisms/praises of any player should automatically be rejected.
A Tale of Two Merams
For some reason, Crew fans assume that I hate Meram. My point with Meram has always been that he is two different players. He is the selfish ball-hog diva that tries to much as fails miserably.... or he is the dynamite energy force that makes things happen! (See "Ethan Finlay" section above because you're not allowed to like two players, I guess.)
I made the trek to BMO Field Toronto on May 21, 2016 with a friend who has only been to one soccer game. I sat with a group of 9 Crew fans, none of whom I had met before. Meram stood around, only making a play for the ball when it was around him, and otherwise appeared to make no effort. All 9 of us were calling for a sub. We were all shocked when we found out Meram was voted MOTM. Apparently, on TV, it looked like he was always making a play for the ball, but that was only when he happened to be in the near vicinity.
On May 28, 2016 at home versus RSL, Meram was directly responsible for the first two goals and had another killer performance. My criticisms are not that Meram is a poor player, it's that he's inconsistent, and I wish I could see this Meram every week.
Cedrick is not a 90 Minute Player
The Colorado game was the first game that Kei Kamara did not play in after his trade to the New England Revolution. Ultimately, the lineup shakeup changed nothing. Cedrick provided a spark for 15 minutes, and then the Crew set out in their mediocre ways and blew a lead and tied a game at home.
Cedrick as a fresh set of legs off the bench excelled in the playoffs last year. He scored in the first 15 minutes of the Colorado match and provided that spark and energy and creativity that the Crew needed. But he's not the savior of the team. The energy of the Colorado match clearly sapped after about 30 minutes.
At the Toronto game, there were several times early in the second half that Cedrick was way behind the play and huffed and puffed to catch up. I'm not sure if this translated on TV. There was one point where Toronto had no defenders around Cedrick, and I think if he had been able to make the run to be level with Ola and Meram, it could've been another goal for the Crew.
I'd like to see Finlay and Cedrick start together to see the burst of energy and at the top from both wings, before either of them or Meram get tired. The problem with this is that what do we do with Meram? There's no way Pipa gets benched even if he scores multiple own goals. I'd like to see Meram up top, but with Ola performing well, I also don't see this happening.
Ola is Not Kei
I first made this comment after the friendly against Veracruz on May 11. The reactions were "Give him a chance!" "It's too early to tell!" "That's harsh."
I didn't say Ola is not good; I said Ola is not Kei. And that's a good thing. Ola is a more complete striker making intelligent runs into the box and behind defenders.
Even though he scored a hat trick at the RSL match, I was struck by how many goals he missed! My dad, who is not a soccer guy, was watching with me and said, "That guy should have 6 goals by now." That makes his performance even more incredible. During the Toronto and Colorado matches, he missed several opportunities. But if he gets his stride, it's going to be a while before MLS defenders will be able to figure him out, if at all, because he's not the one trick pony Kei was.
Not Out of the Woods By a Long Shot
I am Mr. Sunshine Brigade. But this season has been very difficult for me to watch. I constantly wonder how the same personnel who took the Crew to the MLS Cup Final struggles so mightily. The Crew blew a 4-1 lead versus Montreal at home. I had allowed myself to believe that the on field antics that we saw between Pipa and Kei over the penalty kick was the reason for the mental shutdowns.
But then the Crew almost blew a 4-1 lead versus RSL at home. When Ola got his hat trick, I tweeted "4-1 is a dangerous score line for the Crew." I wish I had been joking. The Crew need a winning streak of more than one or two games. Not an unbeaten streak. I'm sorry, but touting that the Crew are "unbeaten in four" distorts the reality of how poorly the team have been playing.
It seems like every team we play is currently the best in the league and we're sold a bill of goods that a "road point" or a "point against that team" is something to be excited about. After making it to MLS Cup Final last year, being content with a point is just not good enough.
Depleted Roster
I just noticed today that Saravia and Larsen got called up for international duty, joining Afful and Cedrick. Sauro, Tchani, and Wahl are out with injuries. Hollingsworth and Pacifici, who have been playing for USL affiliate Pittsburgh, have concussions. It's going to be interesting to see who Berhalter puts in the Philadelphia game on Wednesday, especially in the back line. If this wasn't his third year, I would speculate that he would experiment with tactics, maybe a 3-5-2, but we all know that's not going to happen.
U.S. Open Cup
The most interesting thing about the depleted roster is that it's likely we'll see the same lineup play in the league game and in the U.S. Open Cup game next Wednesday (June 8) against either Tampa Bay or Cincinnati. At the Veracruz friendly, I thought that Hollingsworth was the standout of players I hadn't seen play before. He had the speed and energy of Finlay, but with a nice first touch. I am most disappointed that Hollingsworth is unlikely to play in either the league game or the U.S. Open Cup game. it would've been a great opportunity for him.
I love the U.S. Open Cup and wish that the Crew (and Crew fans) would take it seriously. Berhalter told me that he doesn't use the U.S. Open Cup as a measure of success or failure among his players. He said that if the fans take it seriously, so will he, but this seems rather circular. How are we supposed to spend money and time to take it seriously if the coach doesn't? Regardless, I will be at the match, and am looking forward to it. I enjoy the intimacy of watching soccer in a small stadium, and it will be a blast.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Week 13 Referee Assignments
Here are the Week 13 assignments.
05/25/2016
Orlando City v Philadelphia Union
SORIN STOICA
05/27/2016
Sporting Kansas City v D.C. United
ALAN KELLY
05/28/2016
Vancouver Whitecaps v Houston Dynamo
DREW FISCHER
New York Red Bulls v Toronto FC
ALLEN CHAPMAN
Columbus Crew v Real Salt Lake
DAVE GANTAR
New England Revolution v Seattle Sounders
FOTIS BAZAKOS
Montreal Impact v LA Galaxy
BALDOMERO TOLEDO
Chicago Fire v Portland Timbers
MATHIEU BOURDEAU
Colorado Rapids v Philadelphia Union
HILARIO GRAJEDA
San Jose Earthquakes v FC Dallas
JUAN GUZMAN
05/29/2016
New York City v Orlando City
JORGE GONZALEZ
MLS Referee Diversity
Alexi Lalas said something on his Mutant Gene Podcast that got me thinking. He was talking about the referees in MLS, and stated that the refs are no better, and no worse, than referees in other leagues. This I completely agree with. Then he referred to the "diversity" of the referees in the league. I don't know whether he meant culturally, ethnically, or stylistically, but it intrigued me.
In MLS, I see referees with names and surnames that appear to have non-Anglo origins. Also, the referees are not all white.
Alan Kelly is from Ireland. Robert Sibiga is from Poland. Silviu Petrescu is from Romania. Baldomero Toledo was born in Mexico. Jair Marrufo's father was a Mexican referee. I could not find the place of Edvin Jurisevic's birth, but one website said he came to the U.S. as an exchange student. Baboucarr Jallow (who has not yet been center official of an MLS match but has been 4th official) is Gambian.
EDIT: It was reported on ESPN2 during the U.S. Open Cup match that Edvin Jurisevic is Croatian born. His Wikipedia page seems to back that up.
There are additional referees on the PRO Referees website that have a claim to ethnic diversity, even though they appear to be American born. For example, Marcos DeOliveira is American/Brazilian. And Nima Saghafi is American/Persian.
The United States is often referred to as the Melting Pot because of this country's broad cultural diversity. But even talking about the United States doesn't do the diversity of MLS justice. MLS has three teams that play in Canada, and have a handful of referees from Canada, including Drew Fischer, Geoff Gamble (who has not received an MLS assignment this year), and David Gantar.
The major leagues around the world are known for something stylistically, such as the pace of the English Premier League, the technical quality of Spanish La Liga, the hard-working and efficient play of German Bundesliga, the defense of Italian Serie A, and the physicality of French Ligue 1. (See this interesting opinion article.)
From my purely unscientific recreational viewing of European soccer, different refereeing styles emerge from the various leagues as well. In the English Premier League, referees seem to allow the first few challenges to go unpunished, and then start booking players when the game may be getting out of control. In Spanish La Liga, you could commit criminal assault and not get booked, but if you dare to argue with the referee over a call, a yellow or red is shown almost immediately.
Of the pool MLS referees, above, I have identified at least 10 nationalities represented. Just for kicks and grins, I looked at the makeup of referees in the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, and German Bundesliga. The referees are all from the respective countries of the leagues in which they referee.
Of course, generalizations perpetuate stereotypes of their own, and that is not my intent. The point I draw from this long-winded analysis is that perhaps the frustration caused by "inconsistency" of MLS referees is actually a result of the diversity amongst players and referees in North America. A referee who grew up in England (or Germany, Spain, Italy, France, etc.) has presumably been influenced by the way the world's game is played in the style of that country from school yards to amateur leagues to professional leagues.
American soccer, MLS as the domestic league, and the CanMNT and USMNT suffer from this lack of clearly defined homogeny. But I think that the diversity and differences of opinion should be celebrated. The more voices we allow, the sooner it will be until we get it right. We have an advantage in having people from all over the world. As frustrating as it is, this includes a perceived inconsistency in refereeing.
In MLS, I see referees with names and surnames that appear to have non-Anglo origins. Also, the referees are not all white.
Alan Kelly is from Ireland. Robert Sibiga is from Poland. Silviu Petrescu is from Romania. Baldomero Toledo was born in Mexico. Jair Marrufo's father was a Mexican referee. I could not find the place of Edvin Jurisevic's birth, but one website said he came to the U.S. as an exchange student. Baboucarr Jallow (who has not yet been center official of an MLS match but has been 4th official) is Gambian.
EDIT: It was reported on ESPN2 during the U.S. Open Cup match that Edvin Jurisevic is Croatian born. His Wikipedia page seems to back that up.
There are additional referees on the PRO Referees website that have a claim to ethnic diversity, even though they appear to be American born. For example, Marcos DeOliveira is American/Brazilian. And Nima Saghafi is American/Persian.
The United States is often referred to as the Melting Pot because of this country's broad cultural diversity. But even talking about the United States doesn't do the diversity of MLS justice. MLS has three teams that play in Canada, and have a handful of referees from Canada, including Drew Fischer, Geoff Gamble (who has not received an MLS assignment this year), and David Gantar.
The major leagues around the world are known for something stylistically, such as the pace of the English Premier League, the technical quality of Spanish La Liga, the hard-working and efficient play of German Bundesliga, the defense of Italian Serie A, and the physicality of French Ligue 1. (See this interesting opinion article.)
From my purely unscientific recreational viewing of European soccer, different refereeing styles emerge from the various leagues as well. In the English Premier League, referees seem to allow the first few challenges to go unpunished, and then start booking players when the game may be getting out of control. In Spanish La Liga, you could commit criminal assault and not get booked, but if you dare to argue with the referee over a call, a yellow or red is shown almost immediately.
Of the pool MLS referees, above, I have identified at least 10 nationalities represented. Just for kicks and grins, I looked at the makeup of referees in the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, and German Bundesliga. The referees are all from the respective countries of the leagues in which they referee.
Of course, generalizations perpetuate stereotypes of their own, and that is not my intent. The point I draw from this long-winded analysis is that perhaps the frustration caused by "inconsistency" of MLS referees is actually a result of the diversity amongst players and referees in North America. A referee who grew up in England (or Germany, Spain, Italy, France, etc.) has presumably been influenced by the way the world's game is played in the style of that country from school yards to amateur leagues to professional leagues.
American soccer, MLS as the domestic league, and the CanMNT and USMNT suffer from this lack of clearly defined homogeny. But I think that the diversity and differences of opinion should be celebrated. The more voices we allow, the sooner it will be until we get it right. We have an advantage in having people from all over the world. As frustrating as it is, this includes a perceived inconsistency in refereeing.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Week
Week 12 assignments. Mark Geiger returns!
05/18/2016
Toronto FC v New York City
SORIN STOICA
New York Red Bulls v Chicago Fire
ROBERT SIBIGA
05/20/2016
Philadelphia Union v D.C. United
JAIME HERRERA
05/21/2016
New York City v New York Red Bulls
CHRIS PENSO
Chicago Fire v Houston Dynamo
ALLEN CHAPMAN
Toronto FC v Columbus Crew
NIMA SAGHAFI
Orlando City v Montreal Impact
MARK GEIGER
New England Revolution v FC Dallas
SILVIU PETRESCU
Sporting Kansas City v Real Salt Lake
RICARDO SALAZAR
Seattle Sounders v Colorado Rapids
ISMAIL ELFATH
05/22/2016
Portland Timbers v Vancouver Whitecaps
TED UNKEL
LA Galaxy v San Jose Earthquakes
KEVIN STOTT
05/18/2016
Toronto FC v New York City
SORIN STOICA
New York Red Bulls v Chicago Fire
ROBERT SIBIGA
05/20/2016
Philadelphia Union v D.C. United
JAIME HERRERA
05/21/2016
New York City v New York Red Bulls
CHRIS PENSO
Chicago Fire v Houston Dynamo
ALLEN CHAPMAN
Toronto FC v Columbus Crew
NIMA SAGHAFI
Orlando City v Montreal Impact
MARK GEIGER
New England Revolution v FC Dallas
SILVIU PETRESCU
Sporting Kansas City v Real Salt Lake
RICARDO SALAZAR
Seattle Sounders v Colorado Rapids
ISMAIL ELFATH
05/22/2016
Portland Timbers v Vancouver Whitecaps
TED UNKEL
LA Galaxy v San Jose Earthquakes
KEVIN STOTT
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Week 11 Referee Assignments
Here are the Week 11 assignments from PRO. Looks like Jaime Harrera will make his debut at the San Jose v. Dynamo match.
05/11/2016
Philadelphia Union v LA Galaxy
SORIN STOICA
FC Dallas v Portland Timbers
ALAN KELLY
Colorado Rapids v Sporting Kansas City
JOSE CARLOS RIVERO
Vancouver Whitecaps v Chicago Fire
BALDOMERO TOLEDO
San Jose Earthquakes v Houston Dynamo
JAIME HERRERA
05/13/2016
D.C. United v New York Red Bulls
SILVIU PETRESCU
05/14/2016
Montreal Impact v Philadelphia Union
DREW FISCHER
Columbus Crew v Colorado Rapids
CHRIS PENSO
Toronto FC v Vancouver Whitecaps
ROBERT SIBIGA
New England Revolution v Chicago Fire
JORGE GONZALEZ
Houston Dynamo v Real Salt Lake
JUAN GUZMAN
FC Dallas v Seattle Sounders
RICARDO SALAZAR
05/16/2016
Sporting Kansas City v Orlando City
ISMAIL ELFATH
Portland Timbers v New York City
HILARIO GRAJEDA
05/11/2016
Philadelphia Union v LA Galaxy
SORIN STOICA
FC Dallas v Portland Timbers
ALAN KELLY
Colorado Rapids v Sporting Kansas City
JOSE CARLOS RIVERO
Vancouver Whitecaps v Chicago Fire
BALDOMERO TOLEDO
San Jose Earthquakes v Houston Dynamo
JAIME HERRERA
05/13/2016
D.C. United v New York Red Bulls
SILVIU PETRESCU
05/14/2016
Montreal Impact v Philadelphia Union
DREW FISCHER
Columbus Crew v Colorado Rapids
CHRIS PENSO
Toronto FC v Vancouver Whitecaps
ROBERT SIBIGA
New England Revolution v Chicago Fire
JORGE GONZALEZ
Houston Dynamo v Real Salt Lake
JUAN GUZMAN
FC Dallas v Seattle Sounders
RICARDO SALAZAR
05/16/2016
Sporting Kansas City v Orlando City
ISMAIL ELFATH
Portland Timbers v New York City
HILARIO GRAJEDA
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Week 10 Referee Assignments
Week 10 assignments.
05/06/2016
Orlando City v New York Red Bulls
TED UNKEL
05/07/2016
Vancouver Whitecaps v Portland Timbers
KEVIN STOTT
Toronto FC v FC Dallas
JORGE GONZALEZ
Columbus Crew v Montreal Impact
ARMANDO VILLARREAL
Houston Dynamo v Sporting Kansas City
DREW FISCHER
Colorado Rapids v Real Salt Lake
JAIR MARRUFO
Seattle Sounders v San Jose Earthquakes
ALAN KELLY
05/08/2016
LA Galaxy v New England Revolution
HILARIO GRAJEDA
D.C. United v New York City
ALLEN CHAPMAN
05/06/2016
Orlando City v New York Red Bulls
TED UNKEL
05/07/2016
Vancouver Whitecaps v Portland Timbers
KEVIN STOTT
Toronto FC v FC Dallas
JORGE GONZALEZ
Columbus Crew v Montreal Impact
ARMANDO VILLARREAL
Houston Dynamo v Sporting Kansas City
DREW FISCHER
Colorado Rapids v Real Salt Lake
JAIR MARRUFO
Seattle Sounders v San Jose Earthquakes
ALAN KELLY
05/08/2016
LA Galaxy v New England Revolution
HILARIO GRAJEDA
D.C. United v New York City
ALLEN CHAPMAN
Why Ethan Finlay is My Favorite Soccer Player
I was never much into sports other than ice hockey. In the '90s, I was a huge Detroit Red Wings fan, with Kris Draper and Sergei Fedorov being my favorite players. Life got busy, and I didn't have time to follow sports. Fast forward to 2008 when I moved to Columbus, Ohio for law school. There were two professional sports in Columbus: hockey and soccer.
I already had a hockey team (although I still go to Blue Jackets games every now and then). Interestingly, I didn't even know about the Crew in 2008, even though that's the year they won MLS Cup. Such was the state of the sport and how much priority the city placed on its soccer team.
When I found out about the team, I tried very hard to get people to go to a Crew game with me. Finally, in 2013, one of my co-workers was a big Crew fan, and a member of my young men's Bible study was a soccer fan. I went to three games that year. The Crew didn't win any of them... yet, I still had a blast.
I decided that I would go ahead and buy 1 season ticket for 2014. It turns out, people from my church sat exactly 5 rows ahead of me. We became fast friends and carpooled often. The summer of 2014 was a World Cup year. The Crew were going through a slump. I believe they won 1 in 16 or something like that. I went with my church friend to the U.S. Open Cup match against Indy Eleven at First Energy Stadium in Akron. This game was a blast! The intimate setting where you could hear everything the players were saying was exciting. That match goes down as one of my top 5 crew moments.
In that match, Bedell had been sent off (after Chris Penso as 4th official told the center ref to rescind a yellow and go with a straight red) and Paladini had received a red card for what looked like a punch. At midfield, Finlay was taken out pretty a horrible tackle. No call. Finlay comes running to the AR, who was literally 5-10 feet directly in front of where we were sitting in the second row. Finlay points his two fingers at his own eyes and says something to the effect of, "You have eyes! Use them! Are you watching the game?!" I was so impressed that somebody on the team was finally displaying passion, that I tweeted this:
Finlay was kind of unknown at this point, because he had only started 2 games. But I was excited about his speed and passion. We needed a lot more of that on the team, because it seemed like nobody cared.
For season ticket renewal for 2015, the Crew ran a promotion that you could take a picture with your favorite player. I am blessed to have worked with Matt Lampson on LampStrong. I already had a picture with him, so I chose the new and rising star, Mr. Finlay.
Now here's where I'm going to be misunderstood. Crew used to do "Autograph Alley" where 5 or so players would sign autographs after certain games. Finlay was at one of the games and when I got up to the line, he said "Hey Todd!" To reiterate, it's not that I feel entitled to be recognized, or that I desire to be recognized, it's who Ethan is as a person, and who many of the players on this team are and what the Crew are as a club, that makes it so exciting.
I asked him if he had any nicknames in college like roadrunner, and he responded, "No, but I like that."
Some talented fellow fans designed, traced, and helped me paint a sweet banner to commemorate that nickname.
So is Finlay having the best 2016 season? No. But he always gives 113%. He has drive and passion. And you can tell he cares. Will he right the ship? I'm believe that he will. I know that he definitely will never stop trying.
Sports players are human beings, too, not commodities. Sometimes we often forget this as we trash players.
Whether Ethan stays or goes on to Europe, he will always be a major part of why I am Columbus 'Til I Die. I'll be old and gray and he'll no longer be on this team. He'll probably be broadcasting games! I'll hopefully have kids who will have favorite players that make them interested in soccer and the Crew! My church friends, my co-workers, and my family of fans keep me going to matches. The players on the field are also part of that. Columbus Crew is special. I love that I get to be a part of this small market team.
So for all of the jokes I endure, for his play on the field and for who he is as a person, that's why Ethan Finlay is my favorite soccer player.
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